Winston-Salem City Council moves forward with affordable housing plans

Winston-Salem's City Council is moving forward with plans to build more affordable housing units. 

Council agreed to pay experts at the University of North Carolina's School of Government to help city staff take initial steps to build more affordable housing on two plots of land — one five-acre lot already owned by the city and another 34-acre plot that it's considering buying. 

Councilmember Annette Scippio voted for the partnership, in part because that plot is in the East Ward, an area she says desperately needs development due to the lingering effects of redlining.

“For many years, the attitude was that the east side is not a good place. What an awful, awful perception it has," said Scippio. "The thing I see with this is that it has the opportunity to bring value to the east side, to look at the value that's there, to look at the wonderful people who live there, to undo the neglect of investment that has existed since 1937.”

The School of Government is set to work with city staff to help determine whether they should buy that plot of land. It will help complete several pre-development steps, including a financial feasibility study and a market analysis, and will assist in scouting qualified developers. The process is scheduled to take about 16 months. 

Robert Clark was the lone council member to vote against the measure, saying the proposed services did not justify the $181,000 price tag. 

The City Council agreed last month to set aside $30 million for affordable housing.